


Counting Minutes

by twosidedcoin



Series: Geocentrism Theory [2]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Dorks in Love, Fluff, Kissing, Lots of kissing, M/M, Protective Dave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-04-06
Packaged: 2020-01-05 22:52:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18375719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twosidedcoin/pseuds/twosidedcoin
Summary: Dave works, Klaus sketches and their neighbor is a serial killer.





	Counting Minutes

Dave woke up before the sun.

It was a habit he’s followed for a while but it was getting earlier. The birds weren’t even singing yet and the room was mostly blotted dark smudges where his furniture sat. He stretched, muscles tense from spending the past three nights sleeping on the floor.

Beside him he could hear the soft mumbling on his bed. It drew him to a sitting position, beginnings of a smile already starting on his face. He could faintly make out rogue tufts of dark hair buried from under the mounds of Dave’s covers.

Dave reached out, taking hold of the fingers curled in his direction. The mumbling stifled as Klaus began to wake up, shuffling so the covers dipped from his shoulders. Bleary eyes squinted up at him and he was so beautiful Dave couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward to plant a kiss on his forehead.

“It’s morning,” Dave whispered in the dark curls, Klaus always making his brain stupid and state the obvious.

Klaus yawned, grinned tiredly. “ _Yay._ ”

Dave buried another kiss amongst his pale skin, tempted to trail them along his face but they didn’t have all morning. They didn’t even have until the sun rose, and Dave would have gladly let Klaus sleep in through the better part of the morning if he wasn’t so greedy at seeing his face. Set grumpily in sleep, naked save for the grey boxers Klaus thinks he stole but every time Dave sees him in his clothes he felt a warm spike of lust somewhere in his gut.

Dave pulled away, took everything inside him to do so. Klaus’s eyes followed him, hand pulling on him demandingly. Dave smiled as he brought the pale knuckles to his lips.

“I have to go start breakfast,” Dave told him, “Any requests.”

Klaus hummed and mumbled something unintelligible. Dave snorted against his knuckles, blowing warm air against the cold skin before rising to his feet in search of a semi-clean shirt. He found one that didn’t smell quite so sour and slipped it over his chest as he moved out in the hallway.

Before the Commission had kidnapped Klaus the place never felt like a real home. They didn’t know about it, Dave had signed it under his mother’s maiden name, and figured it was the only normal he was going to get.

Now he had Klaus and just the little things- the sheets of paper spread across the living room floor, the dirty pans stacked in the sink, Dave’s socks left in the hallway- reminded him that this place had become the closest place to home he’s ever had. It brought another smile to his face, reaching for the apron and tying it around his waist.

The fridge was mostly empty, Dave not finding any need for food when he could just go out every night. He wanted to cook for Klaus, though, wanted to take care of him so made the mental note to stop by the store soon.

They did have three eggs remaining, one third of a block of sharp cheddar and some spinach that looked edible. He started on the omelets, giving Klaus the two eggs because he so obviously needed the protein, before looking in the pantry for any bread.

“What’s cooking smoking?” Klaus asked from behind, smacking Dave’s butt and sending a sharp thrill to Dave’s gut.

Dave set the bread on the counter, reaching out to capture Klaus’s wrist and draw him to his chest. Mindful of his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around Klaus’s waist and just holding him there. Staring into those gorgeous green eyes and feeling himself sink into this role so comfortably. Content and happy and Dave could die staring into those eyes.

He had already once before.

Klaus stared up at him expectantly and perhaps he was still surprised at waking up with Dave beside him. They never talked about it but they didn’t really talk much. Just sat and stared at the other for hours.

Dave bent down, hand wrapped around the nape of his neck as he captured Klaus’s mouth in his own. Klaus melted against him and they only pulled away because the eggs began to pop on the stove. It was adorable how Klaus glared accusingly at it.

“How’s your shoulder feeling today?” Dave asked in offer as a distraction as he moved to flip the omelet in half before reaching for the bread.

Klaus snagged it before he could, slipping a piece in his mouth before handing it over with a smug smile. Dave chuckled as he turned away, buttering one of the bread’s side and setting it in the pan. It sizzled at the heat, Klaus gazing down at it unsympathetically as he continued to chew on the slice he’d snatched.

“Fine,” Klaus reassured as he reached out to pick at a piece of spinach in the pan, “Is this one mine?”

Dave hummed, flipping the omelet on its other side. Klaus moved behind him to open the cabinet and take two plates out. He smiled when he caught Dave staring at him, and Klaus has always seemed shameless. Beautiful and he knew it, but these last few days whenever Dave looked at him Klaus would blush like some modest maiden.

“Any plans for the day?” Dave asked him as he turned back to the food.

He didn’t have to be looking to know that Klaus shrugged, setting the table. Even in the back of his mind, afterimages behind his eyes, it made Dave’s insides soften considerably. He also knew that Klaus was shivering by now, naturally cold.

He turned the stovetop off so he could wrap himself around Klaus’s back, fitting into each other perfectly. Dave nestled a trail of kisses down his neck, to the beginnings of his spine. Blowing warm air on the skin and sending goosebumps across it.

“You should go put clothes on,” Dave whispered, still holding onto Klaus and his fingers traced along the bandages wrapped around his shoulder, “I’ll walk you to the park.”

Klaus leaned back, head tilted so Dave could push his lips into his temple. He was making soft content noises in the back of his throat, fingers circled around Dave’s hand. Clinging to him like a lifeline and this was all still very new to them- being together and not at war- but even so Dave couldn’t foresee this getting old anytime soon.

They were interrupted by the grumpy sounds of protest from Klaus’s stomach and Dave smiled in the nape of his neck as he pulled away. Klaus pouted at the distance, fingers still held against Dave’s as he stepped backwards. Dave didn’t want to let him go, wanted to take them back to bed and hold him for the rest of the day.

They couldn’t though, so he forced his fingers to release him and watched as Klaus disappeared back down the hallway.

When he returned it was in an old pair of Dave’s jeans- too small for Dave, too big for Klaus- and a grey T-shirt that once had some logo on it but had chipped and faded with time. It was a simple look but Klaus never complained about it. Seemed to bury himself in Dave’s smell.

Dave wasn’t complaining.

“We should go get you actual clothes to wear soon,” Dave noted though, his dog tags a stark contrast against the pale grey fabric.

“Yeah,” Klaus agreed, not the first time they’ve had this conversation.

“I’m serious today doll,” Dave chuckled, planting a kiss to the back of his head as he set Klaus’s plate in front of him, “I’m running out of clothes and they don’t exactly match your style.”

Klaus tilted his head back, catching Dave’s mouth with his own. When they pulled back his expression was dopey and eyes dilated. Light of Dave’s world in the smile he offered him.

“Anything to do with you is my style,” Klaus reassured and Dave bent down to capture his lips with his own again.

They broke apart just far enough that they could gaze back at each other, Dave’s thumb brushing along the delicate curvature of Klaus’s cheekbone. Dave could still feel the warmth of his breath against his skin.

“Eat your breakfast,” Dave told him as he pulled away, “and remember to bundle up. It’s cold outside.”

“Yes sir.”

-

They didn’t speak on the way to the park, Klaus dressed in Dave’s winter jacket. An expensive button up with a fur hood and probably far too nice to be wearing out in public every time he left the apartment. It was warm, though, and Dave always smirks knowingly when he puts it on and the two of them alone drew attention without really trying so what was the harm?

They didn’t hold hands but walked close enough that their fingers brushed enough times that they basically were. Dave was dressed the same he did every morning: dark jeans and white shirt covered by his military jacket. His gun was strapped to his hip, knife concealed in the sock of his shoe and Klaus tried imagining Five like that but it was impossible.

Dave made warmth curl in his stomach, heart quickening inside his chest. Completely different from what he felt whenever he was around Five.

Dave shifted the black one shoulder backpack, shifting it nervously as their steps stalled to a stop in front of the park Klaus used to visit as a child. And it was several years from being the place he knew but for the moment it was enough.

“We can shop for more clothes when I’m back,” Dave told him, allowing the backpack to slump from his shoulder and handed it to Klaus, “I packed all your supplies and left you some money for lunch. Please take a break and eat something doll.”

Klaus stared up at him, wondered what he’d done to deserve such a being. They were close enough that if Klaus wanted he could close the distance and draw Dave’s mouth against his. He didn’t but he could have and that was a privilege Klaus never thought he’d have again.

“Of course solider,” Klaus hummed agreeably, “I already miss you.”

Dave’s hand settled against his cheek, large and warm and rough with callouses from the war Klaus had seen and the war he hadn’t- the same, he thinks, his brother was still fighting. He swallowed thickly, pang at the memory of his family.

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Dave promised, “Be mindful of your shoulder.”

“Hmm. Always,” Klaus whispered before pulling away to sling the strap around his neck and blink back up at him.

Dave gave him another smile, watched as Klaus turned to walk away. It was their morning routine and Klaus never thought routine would have any use. Preferred the chaotic uncertainty of not knowing where he would end up by the time he went to bed but he’d barely noticed with Dave. Funny how that was.

He was too antsy to settle down anywhere yet so he walked the pathway of the park until his shoulder began to ache under the strain of the backpack’s weight. The sun had just begun to peek out from the trees, blanketing the grass still wet with dew with a light that made everything around him sparkle.

It was different, the world that had Dave in it. Everything looked brighter, his mind clear and his body still protested _not_ being on the drugs but it was more of an obnoxious squeaking in the back of his skull. Klaus just wished he didn’t still feel the emptiness knowing his family wasn’t in it.

He found a spot along the trail, sunlight already warming the benches as early risers went on jogs or walked their dogs. They offered Klaus a soft smile in passing as he dropped Dave’s backpack on the bench beside him and brought out his stick of charcoal and the notebook Dave gave him as a present in hopes of quietening the dead.

Thick yellow-stained paper bound between the black covers. The first two pages were of the park, sketches Klaus used to figure out his materials.

The next three were of Dave. Dave in the kitchen. Dave chopping onions. Dave drinking coffee. Dave sitting beside him on the couch, Klaus’s toes curled under his thigh as he stared at his face afraid to blink and for it to end. Dave asleep, head lulled to the side and face smooth in peace. Dave reading.

Klaus took a moment to stare at them, fingers brushing along the soft charcoal lines as a smile flittered along his features. Then he turned the page and his family stared back at him. Or, at the very least, Klaus’s memories of them and Dave never asked but Klaus thinks he got it.

Dave grew up without much family- an outcast in an unforgiving world. Klaus always had them, even when he hadn’t been able to see it and Klaus wished Dave didn’t have to stay to finish out his contract. He wished they could have just run off together in the twenty first century the moment they found one another.

They were the only things Klaus drew that he didn’t have a reference of- pulled from his hazy memories buried beneath years of drugs and alcohol and distance. He’d been surprised at how natural it had came for him. Drawing Luther in that ridiculous overcoat. Diego in all his leather and knives. Allison in her red dress. Five in that cursed Umbrella Academy outfit. Ben reading his book. Vanya with her violin.

After that came them sitting in the living room. Vanya in first chair playing under the moonlight. Ben staring disapprovingly down at him as he got high. Allison as the news portrayed her- all fake glitter and fame- and Allison as he knows her- bossy and a little mean but an okay sister and a wonderful mother. Diego mopping the boxing rink, yelling at him to stop watching and help.

Moments from their lives, trivial and unimportant at the time and now some of the most precious images Klaus held. And he’d write his siblings’ name beside each picture so when Dave looked at them he could tell them apart.

“And Allison is the sister that tried to kill you?” Dave would ask in the dark when they both should be sleeping but were holding hands like schoolchildren and swapping stories from their childhood.

“No. That was Vanya,” Klaus would correct, “The one with the violin.”

“She always looks so sweet in your pictures though.”

“She was. Is. Our father did a real number on her growing up and we kind of carried it over in adulthood but, I mean, it’s not like we all hung out without her or anything. We don’t see each other all that often. Or hadn’t. Before.”

“I’m glad you were never alone Klaus. I always worried that you were,” and because Klaus never knew what to say to that he’d just close his eyes and give a soft hum, squeezing Dave’s fingers in his own.

He was in the middle of Luther standing in front of a bowling alley, face creased in a serious scowl, comical in his bright red bowling shoes. He had a bowling ball in his hands as he stared down at the pins as if he could knock them over by sheer will alone. Klaus had planned to finish it yesterday but got distracted when a squirrel had stolen his bags of roasted pecans and he spent the rest of the afternoon chasing it’s frantic escape, jaw clamped around the corner of the bag.

“Well as I live and breathe,” a voice gasped in front of him, “is that you Spook?”

Klaus glanced curiously up at the nickname, one he hasn’t heard since Vietnam. He hadn’t expected to see anyone he recognized, came to the park every day since his arrival and it had been only strangers that passed by.

Except he caught sight of the dark brown hair, freckles dotting tan skin and realized he recognized the pools of brown he was staring in.

“Mike,” Klaus said- out loud and dumb. Mike chuckled, dog tags clinking as he closed the distance between them, Klaus nearly dropping his notebook in his scramble back on his feet.

He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting. Mike had been his Sergeant and spent most of the war yelling at him. Klaus never took it personally and, he thinks, nobody else had either. Klaus nearly flushed in embarrassment when he realized he’d abandoned them all when he’d thought Dave had died.

Mike caught his arm, drew him into a welcoming hug. Klaus groaned when it jostled his shoulder spending Mike backwards as he gave him a weird look. Klaus grinned between pained breaths, let out loose, “I’m okay.”

“You’ve always been one stubborn SOB,” Mike said, “You ain’t the only one with old war wounds.”

Klaus blinked eyes shifting downwards. His stomach dropped when he realized one of his legs was fake, plastic and metal intertwined into an artificial limb.

“Save your pity Spook. I’m luckier than most,” Mike breathed, tapping his cheek and Klaus gave a watery laugh.

“Shit man,” Klaus said, “I didn’t-”

“Don’t do that,” Mike interrupted, “It’s not your fault. There was nothing anybody could have done and nobody blamed you for disappearing the way you did.”

“I ran away,” Klaus protested, “I wasn’t captured or killed. I left-”

“I know Spook. We all know. That briefcase you carried around just disappeared one day and we could only hope you’d found your peace,” Mike explained, “but not once did any of us hate you for it. You were our brother and we could never hate you.”

Klaus sniffed. Wanted to protest but Mike was drawing him into another hug, gentler this time. Warm hands folded around his neck and Klaus melted under the touch, didn’t realize how much he needed it until that reassurance.

“No one hated you Spook,” Mike’s warm breath whispered in his ear, “We missed you like hell but didn’t hate you.”

-

Dave unfolded the picture he’d found on the floor of their living room, something Klaus had drawn before tearing it from his notebook. Declaring it terrible and Dave had settled behind him, folded his legs around Klaus as his arms looped around his waist. He’d kissed the nape of his neck and reminded him that it was his first picture he’s drawn.

Klaus had leaned back, dark hair tickling Dave’s shoulder. Bright eyes gazed at him upside down and his smile was small and playful so Dave had pulled him closer, tickling his ribs. Klaus’s toes had curled as he tried escaping from Dave, picture forgotten.

Dave had picked it up the next day, kept it in the breast pocket of his jacket. He doesn’t think Klaus realized it’s even gone missing and Dave never brought it up. Wanted to keep it as a reminder of a world he’s never known but Klaus had- one that Klaus would never admit that he misses but Dave knew Klaus. And Dave knew Klaus missed his family terribly.

He traced his forefinger along the soft lines of a face he recognized from Klaus’s other pictures. They were young and attractive, almond eyes dark and he wasn’t smiling in the picture but Dave could see the smile lines around his eyes. A mess of short dark hair was windswept and wild around darkened features.

“Hey Ben,” Dave breathed, “I promise I’m taking care of your brother for you.”

Dave thinks it said something- this face being the first Klaus drew. He never asked for clarification, mostly because he knew Klaus would be quick to reassure that Dave was his most important person and that he’d just spent the most time with his brother.

And Dave didn’t know Ben but he knew Klaus and was so incredibly grateful that Ben had helped guide him through the worst parts of his life. Kept him alive long enough that he could meet Dave, that they could spend their nights curled together on the couch. Dave reading, the only noise being Klaus’s charcoal pencil scratching on the paper.

It hadn’t been cheap and after he’d bought it he removed the price tags so Klaus wouldn’t protest.

At the end of the hall an elevator dinged. Dave looked up, saw his mark- a woman with muted red hair and brown pencil skirt- exit. Her heels clicked against the tile floor, face would have been pretty if her scowl wasn’t so ugly.

Dave folded the picture back into a small square, tucked it safely back in his pocket before rising to his feet.

-

“You’re looking good,” Mike noted at the restaurant across from the park- apparently one of Mike’s favorites if the warm way everyone greeted him was any indication.

Mike had ordered them both a beer and it was good though Klaus had always been more of a hard liquor type of guy. The appetizer Mike got was delicious as well and Klaus was surprised he’s never been here before- both in this time frame and his own.

“All things considered you look good Spook,” Mike finished, head tilted to the side and dark eyes watching as Klaus shoved the pieces of bread piled with mozzarella and tomato and chicken.

“Huh?” Klaus grumbled behind a mouthful of food, jaw clicking shut.

Mike laughed at him. Klaus stared up, face caught and he normally he doesn’t attack food with such vigor. He spent all those years on the street, would go days without eating. Food never a priority before but suddenly Klaus couldn’t force himself to stop.

“I think my young friend will have another please,” Mike told their waitress as she came to fill their glass with water.

Her eyes flickered towards Klaus before back to Mike and she asked, “A friend Michael? I’m relieved to see you socializing.”

Mike’s face was soft as he regarded Klaus and said, “An old war buddy of mine. Can you believe he’s one of the best shots I’ve ever seen?”

The girl’s face brightened several degrees as she said, “Thank you for your service. Must have been hard dealing with this old coot all day.”

Mike admonished her with a playful click of his tongue, sending her into a chuckling fit as she walked away. Klaus smiled at the scene, feeling incredibly warm and content.

“It’s weird seeing you not yelling at everyone,” Klaus noted, “We would have never gotten away with that.”

“I think you would be surprised at what you could have gotten away with Spook,” Mike told him with a smile before pointing his fork and clarifying, “You especially, all things considered.”

-

The man was crying on Dave’s doorstep. Dave stepped around him to unlock the door with the hand Klaus wasn’t holding. Klaus’s eyes flickered down to the quivering form, hunched over as if to protect the head he had pressed against his chest.

Dave turned back to him, smile quivering every-so-slightly as he drew Klaus to his chest. Klaus let him, melted underneath the protective hold as Dave looked for something he couldn’t see.

“Speak to me babe,” Dave’s warmth voice tickled the crown of his ear, “What is it?”

Klaus tilted back to kiss his jaw to capture those expressive eyes back on him. Dave still looked uncertain but his eyes no longer looked hard- ready to attack something he couldn’t physically touch. The sobbing bounced around the room and Klaus could feel the eyes watching them.

“It’s just the dead,” Klaus reassured, “Nothing new.”

Dave’s hand sank to the small of his back, pressed into the warmth of Klaus’s coat. Klaus wrapped his arms around his neck, fingers interlocking behind Dave’s head. Their chests were touching and if Klaus concentrated he could feel the thrum of Dave’s heart against his own.

Dave only looked more pained at the reassurance, and that usually didn’t happen. Ben was always pushing him to embrace the dead, and his siblings didn’t talk about it much but frowned at his drug habit. In Vanya’s book she mentioned how Klaus always seemed to run from his ability before pointing out that she’d do anything to have one of her own.

Maybe Reginald should have given Klaus those pills as a child and helped Vanya grow in her own.

“Must be hard,” Dave noted, squeezing Klaus tighter to himself, “What do you normally do to help it?”

Klaus pressed his forehead against Dave’s chest, the cold of his dog tags pressing into his skin. It was the first time he’s felt shame at thinking about his drug habit- of all those years wandering the streets looking for his next hit.

“Drugs helped,” Klaus whispered, voice feathery soft, “Before. But I’m clean now and I want to stay clean. With you. For as long as I can.”

Dave pulled back and he looked less troubled than before when he suggested, “Than we need to find you a hobby. How do you feel about jogging?”

Klaus felt his face pucker, Dave catching his pout in his mouth. When he pulled back Klaus was flushed and content, the crying drowned out by the way Klaus’s head was buzzing with happiness. It must have given Dave the wrong impression because his fingers squeezed Klaus’s biceps before turning back towards his room to find him something to run in.

Klaus followed, figured one more day without buying new clothes wasn’t going to hurt anything.

-

Klaus murmured softly in his sleep, eyelids fluttering in his discomfort. Dave sat at the side of his bed running his fingers through the soft hair, and it smoothed some of the distress from his face.

-

The ghost had changed out in the hall, an older man with a slit throat, when Klaus left for the park. Dave’s eyes flickered around the empty space and Klaus figured he hadn’t been as subtle as he’d always thought. Klaus smiled up at him, taking Dave’s hand in both of his as he pulled him down for a slight peck.

“Oh my, what a way to start the morning,” a voice shouted, Dave’s neighbor smiling at them as he turned to lock the door.

The ghost’s shoulders started shaking at the sight of him but it was the man’s eyes that caught Klaus’s attention. His smile didn’t quite reach and they were cold and intelligent- the way Five’s looked before he was about to murder someone. It made Klaus squint, kept Dave pulled next to him even as Dave grinned and stuck his hand out in polite greeting.

“I’m Dave and this is my roommate Klaus,” he said warmly.

The man didn’t take the hand. He didn’t even glance at it. His eyes remained on Klaus, staring up at him as if waiting for him to try and attack them. Dave shuffled so he obscured most of his vision but his eyes were still kind and voice trying so Klaus figured it was more instinctive than anything else.

“Yes,” the man agreed, “Roommates I bet.”

Klaus shifted the bag higher on his shoulder, ignored the dull throbbing from his other side. The ghost’s wails echoed in the empty space of his brain- sucking most of his other senses into the void. It reminded him why he did drugs all those years.

“I’ll see you later,” Dave said- voice still soft and pleasant and Klaus realized that he didn’t _know_. That as smart as Dave was he was still impossibly naïve.

The man’s eyes landed on Klaus as he smiled sharply and replied, “Yeah. I bet you will.”

-

Dave didn’t have to go to the Commission today- a rare occurrence. So they walked the lap around the park talking about nothing and everything and Klaus has never felt this way with anyone before- not even his family.

They stopped for something to eat and Dave asked, “How’s your shoulder?”

Klaus gave him a pleased smile.

“It’s fine,” Klaus promised and Dave’s face went soft with warmth even as he led them both to the tree on top of the hill.

Klaus leaned in his presence, opening his sketchbook to finish a picture of Vanya and her violin. Dave kissed his temple, pulling him closer so he could lean on top of his head to watch his hands trace along the soft lines.

“You’re really good,” Dave told him as Klaus began to shade his sister’s face- puckered in concentration as her eyes stared at something only she could see, “You must miss them.”

“Every day,” Klaus affirmed, “but I’m happy here. With you. And it’s funny, not being recognized through the Umbrella Academy. People don’t even know what that is here.”

Dave pressed his cheek into his curls. Warm fingers gripping his side, thumb rubbing against his hip. It was risky- showing affection while out in public- but not many people are around. And Klaus felt safe and secure and wanted and he’d forgotten how precious Dave was to him.

“I’m thinking about writing a comic book,” Klaus continued, “about us. I’d change some things, obviously.”

Dave kissed his temple again before he whispered, “Like what?”

“I was thinking of making the Eiffel Tower an evil robot the Umbrella Academy has to stop,” Klaus explained, “And there’s this whole group of people who try to cause the apocalypse instead of just Vanya. And-”

He turned, head tilted when Dave caught his mouth. Palm pressed into his cheek before pulling back and giving him a gentle smile.

“I’d read it,” he told him and Klaus couldn’t stop the dopey smile from crossing his features, leaning further into Dave’s warmth.

“I have a feeling you’d be the only one,” Klaus confessed, “My siblings don’t like it when we exploit our childhood for fame.”

“Coping is coping,” Dave told him, “They’ll understand.”

Klaus shook his head, confessed, “You don’t know them. Vanya wrote a book about us and I think they’re still mad at her. Less mad all things considered but mad all the same.”

“Well if they never speak to you because of this then I’ll take you in,” Dave promised, kissed his temple, “Adopt you like a little puppy.”

Klaus beamed, wanted very badly to maneuver himself so he was straddling Dave’s hips. Kiss him until they were both senseless messes lying in the grass under that tree, but it was still frowned upon so he settled on smiling. Goofy and pleased and soft, green eyes taking in every inch of Dave’s face.

Took in his broad cheekbones and his blond hair ruffled by the air and Klaus’s fingers and life- not death. Took in his blue eyes and tanned skin, warm beneath Klaus’s touch. Took in Dave’s smile, the way his teeth glimmered in the sunlight.

“Are you trying to reassure me or convince me?” Klaus teased. His voice soft and warm like a secret, finger sliding down to his shoulders.

Dave took hold of his wrist and promised, “A bit of both.”

Klaus puckered his face, turned away as he slipped his hand free and reminded, “Not that it matters. You’re under the Commission’s contract for fifteen more years.”

Dave’s fingers folded around Klaus’s neck, foreheads pressed together. His breath was warm against his face and Klaus would gladly stay that way forever. Dave didn’t say anything else- didn’t make any promises- even after they pulled away so Klaus could continue sketching. Instead Dave kissed his neck, held him close and Klaus allowed himself to believe that that was enough.

-

Klaus’s drawings were spread across the floor and Dave recognized a few of the faces- the ones of his siblings. There were others he didn’t know though. People with mangled hands and bloody faces, dark eyes and hollowed out features and it made something sour inflate inside Dave’s stomach.

“ _Christ on a cracker_ ,” he cursed, picking up one of a woman who would have been pretty if not for the hole in the center of her forehead.

Klaus shuffled somewhere in the back, soft feet padding along the wooden floorboards as he searched for something of Dave’s he could wear. Dave knew he keeps promising to take Klaus shopping for his own but he enjoyed the sight of Klaus dressed in his own clothes more. And if everything went well then Klaus wouldn’t need new clothes.

Dave’s eyes flickered down to the woman and prayed that everything would go well. It was unfair to keep Klaus here any longer.

Dave set the picture back on the floor, gathered them in a neat pile to set on the counter. Klaus didn’t even give them a second glance on his way past- living in the horror everybody else could only glance at when Klaus allowed.

“Good morning,” Klaus greeted, pouring himself a glass of kale juice Dave bought yesterday because Klaus wasn’t drinking caffeine and asked for healthier diet choices.

Dave kissed the side of Klaus’s neck as he greeted him in kind. Klaus went soft under his touch, like he always does, and he always seemed so small under Dave’s hand. Sharp edges underneath Dave’s palm, bones jutting out at weird angles.

“Any big plans today Klaus?” Dave asked him, returning to the stove to check on breakfast.

“I was thinking of just staying inside today. Maybe do a little spring cleaning,” Klaus told him and now his choice of Dave’s grey sweatpants and black tank top made sense.

“You don’t have to do that,” Dave reassured him, “I can after work.”

“I don’t mind,” Klaus promised him, “Idle hands make productive work or whatever. I’m happy to help out.”

Dave’s voice went soft around the edges as he pondered, “What’d I ever do to deserve you?”

“Oh I wouldn’t use the word _deserve_ ,” Klaus corrected, wrapping his arms around Dave’s middle and he hadn’t even heard his approach, “Burdened more like it.”

He kissed Dave’s shoulder, buried his nose in the fabric. Dave could feel his warmth, folded his hands over Klaus’s. Before the war, when he’d still played with the idea of escaping to Canada, he would have laughed at the thought of love that burned so fiercely he knew it was going to burn him and not care. Knew it’d change him in ways he previously thought was impossible and loved every moment of it.

“Deserved,” Dave reaffirmed as he turned to wrap his arms around Klaus’s neck, “You- Klaus Hargreeves- are the best thing to ever happen to me.”

He bent forward to take Klaus’s lips in his own before Klaus could even try and think about correcting him. Klaus let him, didn’t pull away. His fingers gripped the back of Dave’s shirt and it was wrinkling the fabric but Dave didn’t care. It’s not like anybody he meets is alive long enough to notice anyways.

When they finally pulled back it was to Klaus tilting his head back to stare at him and Dave would love to do anything than to take him to bed and to prove to Klaus just how beautiful he was. He couldn’t today so he settled with holding Klaus to him and pressing his lips against his forehead.

“I think that’s my line Katz,” Klaus told him, Dave smiling against his skin, “Now you should get going or you’re going to be late.”

Dave drew him into another kiss, held him there and when he walked into the Handler’s office he still felt Klaus against him. He kept his face passive, though, as he sat in the chair across from her. She didn’t even look at him, writing something in her notebook.

“Have you thought about what I’ve requested?” Dave asked her, waited.

She continued writing, pen scratching against paper. She was making a point, Dave thinks. Proving that she wasn’t intimidated by him, but Dave wasn’t bothered. Wasn’t even fazed because this was no longer about him.

It was about Klaus and his bright eyes that would gloss over from the dead or war or voices nobody else could hear. It was about the way Klaus leaned in for a kiss before he remembered where they were and pulled back. It was about how every part of Dave itched to reach out and hold him every second of the day.

So he sat and waited and eventually she set her pen down to look at him and confess, “I’ve given it a great deal of thought actually- was very certain I was going to say no.”

“And now?”

She smiled, palms flat against the desk as she rose to her feet. Dave remained seated as his eyes followed her movements. Her heels clicked against the floor as she moved around her desk, leaned against it and leaned towards him.

“Sometimes I surprise even myself,” she admitted, “We’ll add two more years to your contract and they’ll be no questions at any of your future assignments. We say the word and you-”

She splayed her hands out in front of her, palms up and eyes shining expectantly. Dave straightened, ignored the sensation that he was selling parts of himself that he didn’t own.

“I’ll pull the trigger,” Dave finished, “and in return the Hargreeves are off limits. _Permeantly._ That’s the deal.”

She smiled, “Of course.”

Loud shouting echoed from outside- bouncing along the walls and slipping beneath the door. The Handler didn’t seem bothered. Didn’t seemed fazed. Her eyes just flickered towards the door but when she spoke it was directed towards Dave.

“It seems my other appointment has arrived,” she noted calmly, “and you- Dave Katz- enjoy your life. You’ll be hearing from us shortly.”

Dave scoffed, didn’t take the hand she offered. He rose to his feet as the door flung open behind him and when he turned he hadn’t expected to recognize the face. He didn’t make it a habit of socializing with these people and certainly had never seen the young face in person. Yet he recognized the dark eyes and neatly combed black hair- even the ridiculous schoolboy uniform he had on.

 _Five._ Klaus’s brother- a picture on their countertop when he left this morning.

“Where is he?” Five demanded, snarled and Dave felt his head tip to the side.

The Handler tipped her head to the side, set her fingers against his back and she practically pushed him towards the door with a simple, “Until next time Mister Katz.”

Five stepped into the room, ignored Dave’s presence. He didn’t seem to know who he was, which was fair. Dave only knew him because of Klaus and from everything Klaus has told him his siblings didn’t listen very long whenever Klaus tried offering memories of him.

“I’m not playing your games today,” Five snarled, “I know you took him so where is he?”

“Where is who?” the Handler asked innocently as Dave stepped past Five to start down the hall, “I don’t know if you noticed but we’re not in a habit of keeping prisoners.”

“My brother!” Five snapped, “You stole him from my van outside an art gallery several days ago so where is he?”

Dave grabbed the suitcase he’d used to come, feeling flighty and nervous though he wasn’t sure why considering how pleased he felt that Klaus’s siblings were still looking for him. Klaus was going to be over the moon whenever he heard.

“I believe you should be asking the young gentleman that just left that,” the Handler replied calmly, “He’s the one hiding your brother- even from us.”

“ _Shit!_ ”

Dave turned in time to see Five sprinting down the hall towards him- promise of pain in his dark eyes. Dave beamed back, which was probably the wrong thing to do. It probably made him look like some kidnapping rapist that whisked Klaus off against his will and was keeping him in his basement or something.

Dave opened the suitcase, felt the edges of the world slip away. The last thing he saw was the fuzzy blue glow around Klaus’s brother before he was back in the street across from his apartment building. Whatever excited feeling he had soured at the sight of the police cruiser parked against the curb.

“ _Klaus_ ,” Dave breathed, suitcase thumping against the sidewalk as his fingers went lax and he started forward.

Please Klaus. Please. Please, no.

“And how many times did you say he fell from the window?” a deep voice asked from the apartment he’d left Klaus in for the day.

All day. By himself and all Dave could think was that if anything had happened to him then he’d burn the whole place down- consequences be damned, and maybe the Commission was changing him more than he’d like to admit.

But then- soft and sweet- Klaus responded, “I lost count.”

The door was open when Dave made it to it and there was Klaus, staring with almost a bored expression as the officers moved around the small space. In the center was their neighbor- blood crusted against the side of his face and his eyes were filled with hate and malice and death as they looked at Klaus.

Dave ignored him. Closed the distance to engulf Klaus in a crushing hug, kissed his temple and neck before he remembered himself. Klaus didn’t seem to mind. His green eyes going hazy at the sight of him. The police officer coughed.

“I take it you two know each other,” the man offered and Dave turned towards him, squinted at his nametag.

Patch. Officer Patch.

Dave didn’t part from Klaus and Klaus didn’t push him away. The only person who seemed bothered was their neighbor, but Dave figured that was the least of his problems.

“Yeah. We’re- uh, roommates,” Dave said, remembering at least some things.

Officer Patch didn’t bother correcting him. If anything his face softened.

“Yes well your roommate is a lucky man. If Mister Victor Rose here wasn’t such a klutz then he wouldn’t be standing in front of us,” Officer Patch explained and at Dave’s questioning look Klaus gave him a mischievous smirk.

Dave knew there was no way Victor Rose was clumsy and that he hadn’t tripped and fell out the window. Dave kissed the top of Klaus’s head, held him close. Officer Patch had the decency not to call him out on it.

“I’m very grateful,” Dave reassured, “Any particular reason he was in our living room long enough to fall from our window?” Dave coughed, eyes trailing over to Victor’s smashed face and broken wrist, “Multiple times.”

Klaus distracted him with a kiss, peck against his lips, drawing Dave’s attention back down to him. Dave squeezed him tighter, forehead pressed into Klaus’s soft curls.

“He wanted to kill me,” Klaus informed him, “Called me a filthy queer. Claimed I was dirtying his hallways, and now all the ghosts in the hall made sense.”

Dave bent his head, planting a shaky kiss on the top of his head. It was the first time he was grateful of Klaus’s upbringing- of his ability to see the dead. It was one of the reasons Klaus was still alive, standing in front of him. Dave was beginning to harvest his own urge to throw the man from the window.

“It seems Victor Rose was a busy man,” Officer Patch confirmed, “We’ll take it from here.”

“Yes. Of course. Thank you,” Dave told him, forcing himself to release Klaus so he could walk the officers to the door.

Officer Patch gave him a soft smile- an almost fatherly gesture- as he took Dave’s hand in his own. His face was gentle and eyes kind and Dave was so grateful that he’d been the one to arrive after someone just tried to kill Klaus.

Officer Patch’s eyes flickered to where Klaus was standing, bare feet toeing at the crevices in their wooden floorboards.

“Take care of him,” Officer Patch whispered to him, “He’s a special type of person.”

Dave smiled and hummed, “I know. I will.”

-

Klaus didn’t have any nightmares that night, having drifted off as he relayed his brief moment of excitement for the day.

Victor had watched Dave leave, waited half an hour before knocking on the door to ask Klaus if he had any sugar. It was how he caught them, Dave thinks and he hated how all killers were impossibly charming. It had been the ghosts who’d warned Klaus about what Victor was planning and perhaps Klaus could be charming as well.

He’d knocked Victor out with the frying pan Dave had used to make breakfast that morning. Then he’d called the police to report the accident, failed to mention how Officer Patch was under the impression Victor had fallen from the window.

Dave didn’t ask for clarification on that part. He’d just kissed Klaus’s temple and rubbed at his forearm as he watched him drift to sleep.

Klaus didn’t dream, breathing deep and soft as he slept. Dave thumbed through Klaus’s sketchbook to distract his racing thoughts. Of Klaus wrangled and broken and lifeless. Or Klaus just gone, without a trace, to join Victor’s long list of victims and Dave would have never known.

That was the worst part- the reminder of how easily he could have lost Klaus today. Grateful he hadn’t.

“I’m sorry Klaus,” Dave apologized, Klaus making a soft noise in the back of his throat.

The next day he retrieved the suitcase from the sidewalk- surprised no one had stolen it- and returned to find Klaus in the kitchen.

“It smells good Klaus,” Dave told him, coming from behind to kiss the back of his neck, “What’re you making?”

Klaus tilted his head back to catch Dave’s lips in his own. He didn’t ask about the suitcase, sank back into Dave’s touch as he rose to his toes to breath into his presence.

“You’re in an awfully chipper mood this morning,” Klaus noted, pulling back to stare into his eyes, “Good news?”

Dave buried his nose in the back of Klaus’s curls, breathing in his scent. His fingers squeezed at his waist tighter before relaxing.

“I have a surprise for you,” Dave told him, “Gather your things.”

Klaus squinted suspiciously but didn’t protest. Dave took the spatula from his hand and watched as Klaus trailed off towards the back. Dave’s white shirt- big on him- dangling to his mid-thigh and nothing else. It made Dave smirk as he returned to the sausage links Klaus had been making.

Dave’s fingers thrummed against the suitcase’s handle in anticipation. He still remembered the frightening look Klaus’s brother had given him the day before, but that paled compared to the thought of losing Klaus forever.

“Do I get a hint or like three guesses or-?” Klaus asked when he returned, sitting at the table with a bag Dave knew was filled with his art supplies and a couple of Dave’s shirts Klaus was particularly fond of.

Dave set the plate in front of him, kissed him and said, “No hints or guesses. Then it wouldn’t be a surprise. Now, eat your breakfast.”

Klaus pouted adorably. Dave chuckled, drawing his lips into another kiss before rising to gather his own food on a plate. Klaus was already done with his by the time he returned to the table, earning him an amused smirk from Dave.

“What?” Klaus demanded, fingers thrumming against the top of the table, “I’ve never been given a surprise before. Not in the positive sense at least.”

Dave split his waffle in half, slipped it over to Klaus’s plate. Klaus’s shoulders slumped dramatically as he faked a pout but compiled to Dave’s silent request anyways. He still finished before Dave, fluttered impatiently as he waited for Dave to finish.

Then he was on his feet, dragging him upright. Dave chuckled, caught him around his waist to give a soft kiss against his cheek.

“I love you Klaus,” he told him.

“Yeah, I know,” Klaus reassured still antsy and excited and Dave smiled as he pressed his forehead against the side of Klaus’s face, “Surprise now Dave. _Please._ ”

“Okay,” Dave nodded, “Close your eyes and hold my hand.”

Klaus obeyed, growing still and serious as he waited. Dave brought his knuckles to his mouth before opening the suitcase. He felt the familiar rush as reality shifted around them- careful to land in the exact time Klaus’s siblings were in to prevent the timeline from changing.

Klaus squeezed tighter but didn’t open his eyes. Dave squeezed back reassuringly.

“Okay,” Dave told him, “Open your eyes now.”

Klaus obeyed, squinted. He didn’t look impressed- looked a lot closer to confused as he stuck his bottom lip out in thought.

“I don’t get it,” he confessed, fingers fluttering against Dave’s.

“Not yet,” Dave promised, “but I brought you home. Our new home. For now until forever and you don’t have to choose between me and your family anymore.”

And Klaus had always been smart, eyes flickering down to the suitcase before back to Dave. The only warning he got before Klaus was in his arms, hooked his elbows against the back of his neck and pulled him against him. Dave let him. Dropped the suitcase in favor of taking hold of Klaus’s waist and holding him for however long the world allowed.

Klaus leaned back, stared up into his eyes as he asked, “You know what this means right? You’re going to have to _court_ me.”

Dave smiled, would have brought Klaus into another kiss if he didn’t suddenly feel eyes on him. When he looked no one was there. Klaus startled though, eyes wide before his face smoothed back into calm mischief.

“Aw. I missed you too Benny-boy,” he confessed, still clinging against Dave.

He rested his check against Dave’s chest. Dave kissed the top of his head, oddly comforted by the thought of Klaus’s brother being there.

“And for the record Klaus,” Dave told him nestled amongst his curls standing in a room that hadn’t seemed to have changed in all those years they were absent- untouched by the outside world. Dave figured that this building was one of the best investments he’s ever made. The only thing that’s ever come close being the thin figure in his arms as he promised, “I can’t wait to meet your family.”

“Oh boy,” Klaus warned, “Are you in for a shock.”

But he was smiling, eyes sparkling with excitement, so Dave counted it as a win.


End file.
